Sledgehammer Games to develop 2014 Call of Duty release

Having working on Modern Warfare 3 back in 2011, Activision has confirmed that Sledgehammer Games has been handed developer duties for the 2014 Call of Duty game.

Making the announcement during its latest product call, Activision has revealed that the Call of Duty franchise has been expanded to a three-year development cycle, with Sledgehammer to launch the 2014 Call of Duty game, a title the company has said will mark “a new era” for the series.

Although having confirmed Sledgehammer as the game’s developer, Activision has yet to officially reveal the name of the 2014 Call of Duty release, or when gamers can expect the title to drop.

“The next Call of Duty represents a new era for this amazing franchise, and we look forward to sharing what we have been working on,” Sledgehammer co-founder Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey teased in an open letter on the company’s website.

“Having the honour of developing the new, next generation of Call of Duty is a developer’s dream come true. All of us here at Sledgehammer Games have a shared vision to create the best work of our lives.”

Expanding the franchise’s development window from two years to three means that Tryarch’s rumoured Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 offering will likely not land until 2015, with Infinity Ward now tipped to release a follow-on to last year’s Call of Duty: Ghosts release in 2016.

Having been a stalwart of the gaming scene for a number of years, Activision last year saw the Call of Duty franchise’s gaming records smashed by GTA 5, a game which became the biggest entertainment release of all time, generating $1 billion in just three days.